Ray Vecchio's head was spinning. He had asked around, he had taken hunches, he had switched cars. He took that recently rented ATV into back roads, side roads, even no roads. He was about to scream.

He could not find Linda. How was he going to face Benny after that? It had not been easy. Not at all. Ray had gone to Yellowknife, then went to Reliance, and circumvented the whole Great Slave Lake, looking for the right Tshimishan village. It was amazing he had been doing that for almost 10 days and had only bumped twice into the RCMPs. Playing cool, he took off as soon as he could to escape the Mounties. Then he shook his head. Those Mounties were different from the one he knew - they did not even have wolves as sidekicks!

It was getting almost ridiculous. How could he not find a white girl stuck among a bunch of Eskimos or whatever they were called? And he was running out of hunches and leads.

Asking around, Ray was told of a village north of the Great Bear Lake, and drove for two days, staying in the middle of nowhere, seeing the trees getting scarcer by the mile. If this lead ended nowhere, at least he could at last keep going north and visit Tuktoyaktuk. Fraser would be thrilled to know.

Oh, God. Fraser.

Ray still felt guilty about taking off and leaving Fraser behind, in jail. He was sure that by now the Mountie had been released, but the "misunderstanding" would not have been solved. Not by a long shot. The FBI guys were out for blood. Ray had to make sure this blood would not be his or Fraser's.

Which reminded him of the uneasy feeling he was beginning to reckon since his last stop in some forgotten mini-market at the middle of Frozen Armpit, Canada. Somehow he just knew he was being followed. He could not pinpoint when it started, even where. He knew he was surely being followed, and it was done nicely, very discreetly. That was the reason his guts told him it was not the FBI. Had it been, there would surely be a big operation, with helicopters, sharp shooters, tracking dogs, sirens and a lot of shouting. No, FBI or RCMP definitely was not following him, and that was for sure.

Ray felt sick to his stomach to think of the alternative. It surely was a sick and twisted irony. After all his trouble to avoid the law, it could not be true. But there was a possibility the bad guys and that sick Psycho Bitch from Hell Victoria were on his trail. More than that: he was leading them straight to Linda. Not funny, God.

It was not hard to figure why they had not shown up yet. Their plan was probably to follow Ray until he found Linda. She would be safe until them, and maybe so would he. But there was a chance those Inuit guys could help a bit. Benny kept talking about them, so there must be something good about them.

Still, Ray could not believe he had not lost them somewhere along the way. He was able to get out without drawing attention from the police. Maybe they had tagged him all along, and he just realised it now, in the part of the trip where there were not enough trees or houses for them to hide in the midst of all that pristine and sparkling white snow. None of that eased the knot on his stomach, of course.

Ray geared up the ATV and drove away as the light of the day was beginning to fade. Soon it would be dark. Then he'd better get a plan for when he found Linda. He sure needed one.

Linda was in trouble, and she knew it. The Guiding Lady was just not going to give it up. "Why? Why are you asking me this?"

"It is something you need to know, Linda. I just asked you once and now I will ask you again. Why did you want to kill yourself?"

"How do you know that?!"

"You know better than to ask. Just answer."

Once more, there were tears in Linda's eyes. She was hurting so much just to think about it, and yet she talked about it. "I was afraid, alright? If Ben said he did not want me, if he refused to take care of me because I was paralysed, then... I could not go back to the institution. I would not bear being there... being without him."

"Is that the reason? Then why did you keep on thinking about it even after you went home with him? You were with him, yet you still thought of taking your own life."

Now the tears were flowing freely, and Linda was still unable to face the lady. "I did not think about doing it, I just wondered that it might be easier for him that way. Ben was so sad. He was trying to hide it, trying to cheer me up, and it was so touching. But my life had changed, and it was not fair to ask him to keep him from living a normal life just because of me. If I were dead, he would be able to carry on and have a normal life."

"But you never said a word to him."

"Of course not. I know Ben would never forgive me if I said such a thing. Still I could not do it. I cannot consciously leave Ben. It is... it is just unthinkable!"

"But he might still want to leave you, and it hurts you, doesn't it?"

Was that lady a telepath or what? "Yes." Linda was crying so hard that she could hardly breathe. She also was almost amazed to be in so much pain in the spiritual world. "If Ben ever leaves me... I mean, if he really leaves me... I think I might die..."The Guiding Lady watched her and grew soft in her voice. "So now comes my question again. Linda, what is your deepest fear?"

Linda looked up at her, then down at her hands. "That Ben leaves me. Then I would be alone. Again. Abandoned. Unloved." It was whispered, painful and sore. The ache of a lifetime. Maybe two lifetimes. There were not enough tears in the whole world...

Unexpectedly, Linda was wrapped up in soothing loving arms. At first, she tried to fight the lady, but her weeping was loud and sore, so she was in no condition to resist. The lady caressed her hair and her back. "Comfort is something you also need, Linda. Allow yourself to be consoled. You give so much solace to Ben, and yet you don't let him do the same to you. He loves you, and he wants to comfort you, too. Ben needs to do things for you, because he loves you. But there are other things you should tell him. Tell him the hurtful things, too. You don't do that, Linda, but you should. You think about ending your life, and you don't talk to him. You don't show him your anger of being paralysed. You don't want him to suffer because you can't have sex the way you did before. This is too much for just one person, Linda, and bottling it up is bad for you. You keep too much suffering inside you, because you think you have done things wrong. You have not. None of this is your fault. You have to convince yourself that. You said this to Ben, and yet you did not convince yourself."

The Guiding Lady had never talked so much, and Linda soaked up every word. Maybe she had been selfish to do those things to Ben. She should have concentrated on him...

Linda's trail of thought was interrupted.

"I can hear your thoughts, Linda. And you are doing it again. You are shutting him out, and still wants him to make the bad things go away. I think you will find both of you need to talk more. And you can do it a little by little, OK?"

Linda curled herself around the lady's neck, feeling grateful for the love that lady was showing her. "I will try. Thank you. For me and for Ben."

"It is my pleasure. I would do anything take care of you two."

"I wish I had known my mother. If I could chose, it would have been you."

"Well, the instinct never dies, I guess. I told you I had a son, once."

"He is a very luck boy."

"Of course he is. He lost me when he was very young, but then he found you."

In shock, Linda raised her head so quickly she became dizzy. "What do you mean?"

The lady was smiling in a particular warm way all mothers do. "I mean my little boy has grown into a man and he was going to become lonely and bitter. When he lost his Dad, though, he moved to Chicago, and found new friends. He found a new family, and he found you."

Linda was starting to connect things. And she gaped at the lady. "You... Are you who I think you are?"

The lady smiled. "My name is Caroline. I asked to be your spiritual guide, but now I am afraid our journey is almost over. I think I have done all I can to you, that is why I let you know who I really am."

The American girl was still trying to process things through her dizzy mind. "But... you can't be...! Are you... You are Ben's mom?!"

"Linda, can you do me a favour?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Tell Benton I love him. I always have, and I always will."

Linda beamed, feeling a fuzzy warm spot on her heart. "I will tell him."

"And do that for me, will you?"

"Do what?"

"Love him. For ever."

"That I can do without your asking."

"Goodbye, Linda. Just remember you are never alone. You also have a mommy."

Linda noticed the reality around her changing. The Guiding Lady was going away. But here were so many things she wanted to know...

"No! Wait! Please! Please, Mrs. Fraser! Caroline!"

It was too late. Linda already knew she was going back to the waking world, and the shaman.

She was not disappointed to find herself in the sweat lodge, being carefully watched by the shaman. "Now that was a surprise."

"I wonder if you finally found some answers."

"Yes, I guess I did, shaman. But I am still confused."

"Sessions in the sweat lodge can make you think things you never considered before. They can make you see things you already knew in a different light."

"We have been doing this for almost two weeks, shaman. Am I getting better?"

"I think I am supposed to be asking this question."

"To tell you the truth, I am not sure."

"Well, don't worry about it now. I guess you'd better take a shower and eat, so you can rest."

"I am still amazed that I can be in the spiritual world practically the whole day, and then sleep the whole night through."

"Not the whole night."

Linda blushed. "OK, so I still have some nightmares."

"You wake up screaming every night. That is not some nightmares."

"Yes, I know, " she sighed. "I really thought we had that part controlled. I guess there are still things that frighten me."

"Don't worry. Now let me call Ilaqali."

Ray came in the village long before the night had settled. It was such a small gathering of houses and motorhomes, surrounded by some snowmobiles and dogsleds, that for a moment the detective thought he might be invading a farm or something. So he decided to knock on a house that resembled a local bar or tavern. Those were always places for information.

It was not a bar or a tavern, but the Tshimishan people inside confirmed that Eric lived there, but had gone out hunting. Ray explained the situation somewhat, and said he was looking for the white girl who was Benton's friend. He heard again the native word for white people (qallunaat), but suddenly he felt they were getting as informative as Benny when he decided to clam up real good. Those guys seemed to be jerking him around.

"No, I just need to know if she is here in the village."

There were three men and one woman, obviously one of the local's wife. Only one of the men was talking to Ray. But he was not making any sense. "Benton is not here."

Ray sighed, almost in desperation. "I know he is not here, I am looking for the girl. Her name is Linda."

Then a teenage boy came inside and whispered something to the man. Ray exercised his (scarce) patience. "Look, I am Benton's friend, too, and we are in trouble. There are bad guys who are looking for us, and I need to get us out of here."

The man looked at the boy, then at Ray again. "Maybe the shaman might help you."

The boy went out, and another one came in, a bit older. This one looked intensely at Ray, but the detective jumped first. "Hey! I know you! You are Eric's nephew. You went to Chicago about that mask thing."

David did not nod, but acquiesced. "You are the Mountie's friend. You almost shot me."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Can you help me? I need to get Linda. Do you know her? Do you know if she is here?"

The young man looked at him for some seconds before saying. "I think you better explain the situation to the shaman."

Ray was running his patience really thin. "Look, this..."

He was interrupted when the door opened, and an old man went inside, brought by the younger teenager. The whole group looked at each other. Then there was an unexpected smile. "Detective Vecchio, isn't it? Please make yourself comfortable."

Ray was taken aback, not expecting that reaction. "Well, I... I appreciate it. Thank you, but I am afraid I don't have the time. You see, I am in a kind of situation."

"Really?"

"Yes, you see, I think I have been followed here by some really bad people and there might be a lot of them, so -"

The boy did not let Ray finish the sentence. "There are at least three men in a four-wheel traction pick-up truck, hiding just behind the big slope near the second inuksuk."

Ray looked puzzled at the boy and the shaman smiled. "Thanks, Tommy. Please go on, detective."

"Anyway, if they suspect Linda is here, they might try something. Some people of your village may end hurt, and I am trying to avoid that. So, if you could tell me if she is here or where she is, I could get her in the car and we will get going. I don't want to risk our people."

The shaman looked at the two men, then they looked at Ray again. All those silent stares were taking their toll on the detective, who seemed unable to decipher what they were saying.

"Look, all I am asking is an indication, here, and..." Suddenly Ray stopped talking, his attention caught by a familiar sound. "Did you hear that?"

The men tried to look casual. "Hear what?"

"I'm not sure I hear anything.

In a split second, Ray recognised the distant sound. It was Linda. He could recognise her voice anywhere. And she was screaming scared. The American instantly galvanised into action and rushed to the door. "What are you people doing to her?!"

"No, detective, don't! Wait!"

Too late. In seconds, Ray was out in the snow, getting past the dogsleds, following the screams into a wooden cabin, not much dissimilar do Benny's dad's. He did not hesitate to storm in, willing to bust down the heavy wooden door, shouting, "Linda!"

Inside the dark place lit only by fire, Ray barely had time to locate the figure shouting in the bed. Before he could approach the girl, though, he was sent hurling to the floor, bowled over by some furry and deranged big bulk in human form, also screaming in a strange language.

"Woah!", made Ray, in the floor.

"No!! Ilaqali, no!" That was Linda's voice. "Aakka! Ilaqali, aakka!"

There was more shouting in some strange language and Ray felt the weight over his body lifting up, just before the air returned to his lungs in big gulps. Then he heard Linda's voice coming from the bed, "Ray! Ray! Ilaqali, he is my friend! Ray!"

He sat on the wooden floor, still panting. "Oh, jeez... Did anyone... get the license... of that snomobile?..." Then he raised his head and met Linda's eyes. A flood of relief washed over his body and he stood up gingerly.

"Linda..."

"Ray!"

Ignoring all people that were already in the cabin, Ray crossed the room and sat on the bed, where they hugged each other fiercely. Linda was trembling all over, and Ray could not contain the tears as he heard her heart-wrenched weeping. They held each other for a long time, Linda's arms circling his waist, her head buried in his chest.

Ray looked at her, using both hands to touch her head and to look in her eyes. "Hey, kid. Are you OK?"

Linda nodded, still crying. Ray caressed her warm cheeks, wiping her tears. "I heard you screaming, are you alright?"

"Yes", she could hardly speak. "It was just a nightmare... I am so happy to see you, Ray".

He held her in her arms again, and whispered. "Me, too. Me too, Linda."

Linda looked up and asked, "Is Ben with you?"

Ray looked at those vivid green eyes and felt his heart distinctively cracking. "No, Linda, I am sorry. And I guess we better talk about it."

"No, Ray, there is no need. I already know that the village people did not kidnap me. Buck Frobisher came here and explained everything to me."

"Linda, believe me. Buck Frobisher doesn't know half of what is going on in Chicago." Ray looked around and gestured to the shaman. "Sir, I believe you better listen to this as well."

For the next minutes, the emotions reached level peaks inside the cabin as Ray told his tale. First Linda was surprised, then outraged, then merely tense on what Ray told her. The shaman, always in his enigmatic ways, listened carefully to Ray's words, and consulted with David in the same silent way that annoyed Ray so much when Benny did it.

"If the boy had not confirmed I was followed, I could have believed we were safe. But now we gotta get out of here, Linda. Fast."

"Leave? Ray, I am in the middle of the treatment. The shaman is helping me and we..."

The shaman gently interrupted. "No. We were almost through with your treatment, and your spiritual guide had already told you so. We have done what we can for you, Linda."

She was surprised to hear that. "Really? But... I am still having nightmares."

"A product of your own fear. You have conquered your fear once, and you can do that again. It is your choice to live in fear or live free of it."

Once more, the shaman was talking in that way that always made Linda confused. Only this time she was not so confused as she once was. She smiled.

"I cannot thank you enough."

Ray sighed, relieved. "Good. That means we can go right away."

Young David snorted, "That means you can also be caught right away."

Ray glared at the kid, but Linda turned to the shaman. "There must be some way we can go out and not raise attention."

The American detective shrugged. "Probably if we were Inuit, Linda, but that is not the case."

The shaman smiled. "Maybe we can work on that."

It was still dark when a fur-clad figure stepped out of the big log cabin into the snow. From afar, it was just a grey silhouette walking through the icy tapestry headed towards the barn near the small trucks. It was the only movement in the almost morning hours, the sun was a long time from rising. The person went inside the barn and emerged less than half an hour later with a complete dogsled team, all in full gear. The team was parked in front of the big log cabin. The person went back inside.

Half an hour later, it was already dusky, and suddenly the log cabin became a catalyse for action. The fur-clad figure stepped out for the second time, carrying a huge bundle of dirty clothes and dumped it on the dogsled. At the same time, very surreptitiously, a person in a snowsuit, carrying a smaller person in his arms, sneaked out of the cabin and went to the ATV parked near the trailers and motorhomes. The tribe's shaman followed them to the ATV and bid them farewell, as the dog sled sped away almost unnoticed. The vehicle took off shortly after, taking the opposite direction.

The sun came out. It happened at least half an hour after both vehicles left the small tribe.

"Linda, are you OK?"

The voice was muffled. "I am just fine, Ray."

"I think it is safe to come out now."

"I would appreciate that."

The vehicle stopped, and Ray quickly came to the front of the sled to relieve Linda from the cocoon they had hoped would confuse their pursuers. She emerged, her face all red from being inside so many layers of clothing and gasped discreetly. Linda took a deep breath and smiled. "So good to feel the air again."

Ray loosened a bit of the bundle of clothes around her, but took care so that she was kept warm and re-wrapped the blanket around her arms. "Yeah, but we gotta keep moving. David said the RCMP outpost is still three hours away, west from here. And I am not good at driving this damned Nanook of the North limousine, in case they were not fooled by our little deception."

"With luck, they won't be able to distinguish David at the wheel of the ATV, as long as he keeps the cap on."

"Let's hope so." Ray checked her out for the last time. "Are you comfy? It will be a rough ride."

"Never mind that, Ray. You know I cannot feel anything from the waist down, including the temperature."

"And this is good thing. It is almost freezing, and it won't get better even when the sun is high. Can you believe this place? It is spring in Chicago. Late spring, almost summer."

"I am fine with that. Let's go."

"OK."

He got back at the back of the dog sled and shouted, "All right, doggies, mush!!"

Not even one started.

"I said, Mush!!"

Nothing. It was as if Diefenbaker was there, in one of his bad days.

Ray hang his head, defeated and murmured, "No, please, guys, not now..."

Linda suggested, "Try something else, Ray, like 'let's go' or 'get going".

Ray was not in the mood for advice. "Damn thing, Fraser! When we get back, I am going to ask you for lessons on how to drive this thing, I swear. Alright, guys, I am not in the mood for that! We gotta go! Come on!"

Magic word, for the dogs started moving. "YES!", exclaimed Ray, and Linda held on to the inside of the sled, now seeing the beautiful Northern scenery as the pale sun started to rise in the Territories.

They had not ridden for even a full hour when a noise of an engine came across the mountains. Ray looked back and recognised the snowmobile that was on the vehicle following him for the past few days. He discreetly tried not to alert Linda, and tried to speed up the dogs. The light vehicle was coming fast, even though it was still more than a mile away from them.

It did not work.

"Ray, I don't want to alarm you, but I think we are being followed."

"And I think you are right, Linda", he growled. "Hang on!"

Ray led the sled across a winding way through a few pine trees and slopes and rocks. Linda bumped a lot and tried to keep the balance, while the dogs went as fast as they could. But their pursuers were tireless and unmerciful. Ray soon understood he would not be able to get away.

The only thing was, they could not fight back, either. All Ray had was a handgun and those guys were probably heavily armed, not to mention the fact that they outnumbered them. Ray felt sweat starting to pool under his arms, despite the freezing temperatures.

"Ray, they are still closing in on us!" Linda had to shout so Ray could hear her.

"We have to lose them somehow!"

"Maybe the sled is too heavy! You could dump me near those trees and get away faster!"

"What?!! Linda, are you out of your mind?"

"Ray, you can come back later and get me! I can hide under the trees!"

"Out of the question!"

"Ray, listen to me!"

"No! No, I won't! You've been hanging around those Eskimos for too long! You're starting to say those nonsense things the same as Benny!" He cried to the dogs, "Come on, come on!!" Impossible as it seems, the animals managed to run faster.

"Please, Ray!," said Linda, as Ray glided through the slopes. "I can jump out, roll to those trees, hide there and I wait till you come back!"

"You will freeze to death!"

"I can't feel a thing!"

"The more danger to it!"

"Ray, there is no other way! We won't be able to escape them! You will get arrested, or worse!"

"They will kill you! Then Benny will kill me! No, maybe there is someplace where we can hide and they will lose us. They don't know this area!"

"And neither do we!" Linda was getting anxious and distressed. "Ray, please!"

"If you don't quit distracting me, we will end this trip real soon, Linda!"

The girl stretched her arm. "Over there, Ray! Let me go, or I will jump!"

"Linda, I am warning you!"

"I will jump, Ray, I swear I will!"

Ray had never seen the girl so determined. Linda herself was a bit awed at the way she sounded.

"OK, OK! I don't believe I am doing this. Hang on!"

Ray swirled the sled toward a group of pine trees mixed with bushes that offered a good cover, and stopped the vehicle. Linda raised her arms and pointed, "Quick, over there!"

The cop was mumbling when he picked her up hurriedly and said under his breath, "I don't believe I am doing this."

Linda was placed under a sturdy bush and Ray had to hide his amazement. Dammit, she was right. Someone passing in a hurry would not see her under there. The damn plan might even work.

He reinforced the amount of covers around Linda's legs. She could not feel anything, so they could be the first members to freeze. "OK, now you stay quiet and still until I call you. Don't cry out for me until I call you, OK?"

"All right, Ray."

"And don't come out until you see me. I just hope I can remember this place later."

"I will be fine, Ray. Now go, go!"

He kissed her forehead, caressed her face, even with his gloved hands, and his heart was cracking. "I will be back, you hear?" His voice failed. "I will get you back to Benny."

"I know that. I love you, Ray".

"I love you too, kid."

Ray broke a branch of a tree and revolved a little bit of snow on the ground to hide all tracks made by the sled. Then he picked up the reins and cast a last look at Linda, finding her safe and hidden under the group of trees. Ray felt his stomach churning and before he changed his mind, he took off with the sled.

***

Even before Ray left, Linda began to feel something different, and she was not quite sure what it was at first. But Linda could not concentrate on it that moment. She was tensely waiting until the snowmobile passed away, following Ray. The small vehicle passed by and Linda finally could release a breath she did not realise she was holding.

On the first minutes after she controlled her racing heart, Linda could look around from her hiding place beneath a sort of piny bush. It had shrubs so harsh Linda was glad she was wearing thick thermals that Ilaqali put on her early in the morning.

She looked around. There was not much to look: snow, some stones, the white slopes and the bluish sky that framed a pale sun. The air was cool and crisp, it scented as freshness and cleanness and there was peace all around. Not a sharp sound was heard, only whispers of the wind, some bird noises from the other patch of trees ahead and distant echoes of undistinguished origin.

For a moment, Linda remembered that this probably was the scenery that surrounded Ben in his childhood and young adulthood. *No wonder he misses it*, she wondered. It was beautiful. It had everything to do with Ben: so beautiful, pristine, innocent and untouched.

Linda spent a long time just thinking and looking around, consciously avoiding any thoughts over her current situation. One of the things that she could concentrate now was that odd sensation that grabbed her attention before.

It was cold. Nothing more than that: Linda was getting cold. But it was different, because she was feeling cold in her legs that were almost buried in the snow. Her legs were cold. She was feeling something in her legs.

At first, she could not believe it. It was the first sign of feeling she had had below the waist since she found out she was paralysed. Linda hurriedly took off all covers Ray had put on legs. She immediately felt her legs getting even colder.

Carefully, she broke a twig from the bush above her head and began to gently poke her own thigh. She could feel the pressure. She tried again, and once more there was a definite sensation. For the third try, she poked harder. The pressure seemed harder, too. It took Linda some minutes to realise what that meant.

Now she had some feeling below the waist. Not much, maybe only sensations. It was a fact, not a possibility. Dr. Wilson explained her once that, if she could feel anything, then they could have a chance to determine whether the damage was done chemically on the brain or in the chemical parts of the brain. This could establish whether her brain could not receive the stimuli or the stimuli was not being transmitted. Linda did not even pretend to understand what he was saying then. Right at that moment, though, she understood that now her situation was different than it had been.

Linda felt she could burst in happiness. And there was no one she could talk to! She wished so hard that Ben could be there, could share her hopes, could share her joy. She had to get out of that place. And how long would it take Ray to come back?

At that thought, all her euphoria dwindled away. Her stomach twisted a little to realise the danger she had put Ray into. Linda tried to keep those thoughts at bay, because now it would do them no good.

So she focused herself on the sensations her legs would be able to feel. Linda concentrated on trying to move, even though she knew it was sub a big step she could not expect much. Maybe twitching her toes would be a good start. She tried and tried until she was red and sweaty, but there was no way to tell if any progress was made. In the first place because she could not move enough to see so far down without help. In the second place, because she could not be sure if there was any curling in her toes.

Time passed and Linda did not sense it. When she realised, the sun was very low on the sky. Ben had told her that in the cold season, the days were short in the North. Much shorter than Chicago. So, even if the night settled, it did not mean really late hours. Still, Linda estimated she had been out there for at least three hours.

Some more time passed and the night fell. Without the sun, Linda thought it would be pitch black around her. It was not exactly so. Even though it was dark, there was a myriad of stars in the sky above, some of them brighter than diamonds in the black sky. The snow had a sort of bluish tinge, and the trees had grey silhouettes, as well as the mountains, away in the distance.

Finally, she heard something in the night. Far away, very discreet, but definitely heavy. At first Linda feared it could be an animal, probably very large one to make such noise at that distance. Ben had told her of bears, moose and caribous, but there was also a chance it could be an arctic wolf - one very much different from Diefenbaker. Then she heard a voice calling, and it made her sure that it was no animal.

It sounded like Ray, but there was a good chance it could be a trick from the people pursuing them. Ray had been very explicit when he stated she was not to come out until he specifically said so. So Linda had to refrain herself from shouting out as she wanted to do. She was getting very scared and hungry, too.

Soon the voice became clearer. It was Ray, alright. And his words were beginning to get clear.

"Linda!"

She had the impulse to answer, but kept quiet. Ray seemed to be still away from her.

"Linda, can you hear me?"

"Linda! Honey, it's me. Linda! You can come out, now. Linda, come out!"

Those were the magic words. Linda stretched out her arms and said, "Ray! Over here!"

"Linda?"

She began to use her arms and elbows to drag herself from under the tree. "Yes, Ray, over here! I have something to tell you!"

Ray's voice changed. "No, Linda, wait!"

"Ray! Ray!"

There was the sound of feet stomping in the deep snow for a few seconds, and Linda insisted, still using her arms to crawl to the snow. "Ray, I am coming out!"

"Linda!" Now Ray's voice seemed definitely strangled. Linda's blood turned cold. She did not see him yet. Could it have been a mistake?

Then Ray appeared finally in front of her. She smiled, relieved. "Ray, I knew you'd come."

Looking a little bit harder, Linda realised there was someone grabbing Ray from behind and putting a gun to his head. The Italian seemed to be tormented, and there was a bruise in his face. He had been captured. A man appeared, the one who had Ray in his grip.

Linda's smile fell away and she instinctively tried to scramble away, even though she had no leg movement. The man alerted, "If you move, I'll kill him."

That was enough to make Linda instantaneously freeze in the snow. Ray could hardly say, "Linda, I am so sorry."

Linda kept her eye on the man she could hardly see in the dark and shrugged, "It wasn't your fault, Ray."

The man motioned to his right side, from where two men immediately sprung into view.

"Sal, Marco, get her."

As they closed in on Linda, Ray immediately galvanised into action. "No! Get your hands off her!!"

Linda screamed as the man holding Ray deemed it necessary to strike him in the head, and it sent the cop to the ground.

"Ray!!!!!" She struggled, but two strong men easily subdued her and she was picked up by one of them, screaming and trying to resist the best as she could. Ray was lying still on the ground, and Linda called him in such a hysterical way that the man who hit him decided to shut her up. She received a similar strike and the intense pain made the world turn black as other dark colours of unconsciousness swept her away.

On to Part 6